A drummer who sings, a singer who drums. A rare combination. But one which the Grammy Award-nominated Jamison Ross does not so much pull off, but makes you think is the most natural marriage of voice and instrument.

Dueting with himself; guitarists Rick Lollar and Barry Stephenson; and, for a large part of his two 45-minute sets, his jam-packed audience in the quaint and convivial setting of the Piccolo circus tent in George Square Gardens, Edinburgh; Ross’s life-affirming celebration of humanity is the perfect tonic to these Brexit-burdened, Trump-tortured days. Or what he refers to in Safe In The Arms Of Love from his latest album All For One, “this time of confusion”.

His first lyric “yeah”, which he repeated in a myriad of tones, speeds and volumes, epitomising his glass half-full disposition which is best summarised in the lyrics of his improvisational riff: “free to love, free to be”. Which he followed with a teasing direct address to the front row: “Does anyone want to be free?”

But it wasn’t all sweetness and light, as he alluded to in the introduction to the first song he ever wrote Emotions from his debut album Jamison (2015), which he said was penned after too many tequilas during a dark night of the soul. Though the “shadow hanging over me” in the closing number of his first set Yesterday remained an enigma.

Kicking off the second half with a throwaway quip “Let’s have some fun”, boy, didn’t he and his fellow band members let rip with a series of inventive instrumentals which provided a rare opportunity for the string-snapping Lollar and bass-strumming Stephenson to step out of the shadows of their magnetic frontman whose sublime intro to Safe In The Arms Of Love underlined why, in 2012, he won the prestigious Thelonious Monk Institute drumming competition.

His lyrics may not be as polished and emotionally-charged as his gospel-inspired performance, but if you are at a low ebb and standing on the crest of the Kelpies’ mane with a burning desire to throw yourself headfirst into Becher’s Brook, do yourself a favour and rock up to one of his gigs which will leave you in the words of his closing number Keep On, “thankful for another day and hopeful for tomorrow”.

Peter Callaghan
Latest posts by Peter Callaghan (see all)